Follow the Thought Leader

October 23, 2008
Reality Check – Looking for a Few Great Leaders| posted by Cy Wakeman We are certainly in challenging times in our business world today. We have been in challenging times in the past and – let me make a profound prediction – we will be faced with challenging times again at some point in the future. Here’s the reality check: the fact that times are challenging is not the source of our pain. The source of our pain is the absence of great leadership based in reality.
We must be willing to admit that our way of leading is simply not working and not creating the results or the quality of life that we would like. These times call for a new type of leader. We need leaders who are willing and able to recreate mindsets in order to change circumstances and lead in a new and revolutionary way.
The revolution begins with a few good leaders practicing Reality-Based Leadership. A Reality-Based Leader is one who is able to quickly see the reality of the situation, conserve precious team energy and use that energy to impact reality. Better yet, a great Reality-Based Leader anticipates the upcoming changes and capitalizes on the opportunity inherent in the situation. As with all great revolutions, a manifesto is needed. So here it is … Reality-Based Leadership is a new wave of leadership based on the following principles:
We, as Reality-Based Leaders, Refuse to Argue with Reality.
The average leader spends two hours a day arguing with reality, an argument you will surely lose, but only 100 percent of the time. Reality-Based Leaders work instead to quickly identify the facts of the situation and focus on following simple instructions – doing the next right thing that would add the most value.
We, as Reality-Based Leaders, Greet Change with a Simple “Good to Know.”
Today’s leaders seem to greet each and every change with surprise, panic and blame.Even change that should be anticipated often elicits a reaction of surprise, shock or disbelief. The moment of surprise is followed by anxiety or a low level of panic about how to lead forward, ending with a dose of blame focused on others’ lack of leadership, poor decisions or failures. Reality-Based Leaders greet change with great anticipation for the possibilities and a simple “good to know.” They move quickly to understand the new reality and search for ways to deliver results in spite of the facts or limited circumstances.
We, as Reality-Based Leaders, Value Action over Opinion.
In the past, leaders were encouraged to make sure employees felt that their opinions counted – as if opinions created value in organizations. Reality-Based Leaders are clear that the highest value the talent under their leadership can offer is to implement with excellence. To deliver results time after time, leaders need the ability to resist editorializing and instead move to lead in the execution of imperfect plans with excellence. In a nutshell, leaders add the most value when they understand that action, rather than opinion, adds the greatest value.
We, as Reality-Based Leaders, Work with the Willing.
A leader operating under today’s worn-out philosophies spends, on average, 80 hours each year on a single person in a chronic state of resistance. The average return on this hefty investment? At the most, 3 percent. By working with the willing, efforts move forward and others join up or move outside of the organization either by choice or behavior. Reality-Based Leaders play favorites – they favor those who use their talents to work with, not against, the organization.
We, as Reality-Based Leaders, Lead First and Manage Second.
In changing and challenging times, ineffective leaders are tempted to work diligently to perfect the circumstances of their employees. This approach has put managers in charge of creating engaging environments and has led to a great deal of over managing and under leading. Reality-Based Leaders know that engagement is correlated to personal accountability. Instead of working to perfect the circumstances of their people, Reality-Based Leaders work to “bulletproof” their employees, creating employees so resilient that they are unfazed by the challenges at hand.
We, as Reality-Based Leaders, Make the News, Rather Than Report the News.
It is easy to report the news, update the team on the challenges at hand and make doomsday predictions about the future. Assessing the situation in the past tense and critiquing others’ responses to the circumstances is easy, but not effective. Reality-Based Leaders instead work to solve problems.
Intrigued? Stay tuned to this blog as I delve into the details.
Remember, Cy rocks and you rock. Lead on my friend.

Recent Comments | 1 Total
October 24, 2008 at 8:52pm

Alonso Sarmiento Dear Sir.
It is absolutely true what You say. Things do not just planning it; but doing. Unfortunately this is understood when one already gained experience through years of struggle against conformism.
Alonso Sarmiento Llamosas
http://alonsosarmiento.googlepages.com

Ten Forecasts for the next 20 years

Forecast # 1: Everything you say and do will be recorded by 2030. By the late 2010s, ubiquitous unseen nanodevices will provide seamless communication and surveillance among all people everywhere. Humans will have nanoimplants, facilitating interaction in an omnipresent network. Everyone will have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. Since nano storage capacity is almost limitless, all conversation and activity will be recorded and recoverable. — Gene Stephens, “Cybercrime in the Year 2025,” THE FUTURIST July-Aug 2008.
Forecast #2: Bioviolence will become a greater threat as the technology becomes more accessible. Emerging scientific disciplines (notably genomics, nanotechnology, and other microsciences) could pave the way for a bioattack. Bacteria and viruses could be altered to increase their lethality or to evade antibiotic treatment.— Barry Kellman, “Bioviolence: A Growing Threat,” THE FUTURIST May-June 2008.
Forecast #3: The car's days as king of the road will soon be over. More powerful wireless communication that reduces demand for travel, flying delivery drones to replace trucks, and policies to restrict the number of vehicles owned in each household are among the developments that could thwart the automobile’s historic dominance on the environment and culture. If current trends were to continue, the world would have to make way for a total of 3 billion vehicles on the road by 2025. — Thomas J. Frey, “Disrupting the Automobile’s Future,” THE FUTURIST, Sep-Oct 2008.
Forecast #4: Careers, and the college majors for preparing for them, are becoming more specialized. An increase in unusual college majors may foretell the growth of unique new career specialties. Instead of simply majoring in business, more students are beginning to explore niche majors such as sustainable business, strategic intelligence, and entrepreneurship. Other unusual majors that are capturing students' imaginations: neuroscience and nanotechnology, computer and digital forensics, and comic book art. Scoff not: The market for comic books and graphic novels in the United States has grown 12% since 2006. —THE FUTURIST, World Trends & Forecasts, Sep-Oct 2008.
Forecast #5: There may not be world law in the foreseeable future, but the world's legal systems will be networked. The Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a database of local and national laws for more than 50 participating countries, will grow to include more than 100 counties by 2010. The database will lay the groundwork for a more universal understanding of the diversity of laws between nations and will create new opportunities for peace and international partnership.— Joseph N. Pelton, "Toward a Global Rule of Law: A Practical Step Toward World Peace," THE FUTURIST Nov-Dec 2007.
Forecast #6: The race for biomedical and genetic enhancement will — in the twenty-first century — be what the space race was in the previous century. Humanity is ready to pursue biomedical and genetic enhancement, says UCLA professor Gregory Stock, the money is already being invested, but, he says, “We'll also fret about these things — because we're human, and it's what we do.” — Gregory Stock quoted in THE FUTURIST, Nov-Dec 2007.
Forecast #7: Professional knowledge will become obsolete almost as quickly as it's acquired. An individual's professional knowledge is becoming outdated at a much faster rate than ever before. Most professions will require continuous instruction and retraining. Rapid changes in the job market and work-related technologies will necessitate job education for almost every worker. At any given moment, a substantial portion of the labor force will be in job retraining programs. — Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies, "Trends Shaping Tomorrow's World, Part Two," THE FUTURIST May-June 2008.
Forecast #8: Urbanization will hit 60% by 2030. As more of the world's population lives in cities, rapid development to accommodate them will make existing environmental and socioeconomic problems worse. Epidemics will be more common due to crowded dwelling units and poor sanitation. Global warming may accelerate due to higher carbon dioxide output and loss of carbon-absorbing plants. — Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies, “Trends Shaping Tomorrow's World,” THE FUTURIST Mar-Apr 2008.
Forecast #9: The Middle East will become more secular while religious influence in China will grow. Popular support for religious government is declining in places like Iraq, according to a University of Michigan study. The researchers report that in 2004 only one-fourth of respondents polled believed that Iraq would be a better place if religion and politics were separated. By 2007, that proportion was one-third. Separate reports reveal a countertrend in China. — World Trends & Forecasts, THE FUTURIST Nov-Dec 2007.
Forecast #10: Access to electricity will reach 83% of the world by 2030. Electrification has expanded around the world, from 40% connected in 1970 to 73% in 2000, and may reach 83% of the world's people by 2030. Electricity is fundamental to raising living standards and access to the world's products and services. Impoverished areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa still have low rates of electrification; Uganda is just 3.7% electrified. — Andy Hines, “Global Trends in Culture, Infrastructure, and Values,” Sep-Oct 2008.

Nanotechnology Breakthroughs
of the Next 15 Years
Nanotechnology — the manipulation of materials and machines at the nano-scale — one billionth of a meter — promises exciting new developments. Interviews with a group of nanotechnology experts yielded this list of likely developments:

Two to five years from now:
Car tires that need air only once a year.
Complete medical diagnostics on a single computer chip.
Go-anywhere concentrators that produce drinkable water from air.
Five to 10 years
Powerful computers you can wear or fold into your wallet.
Drugs that turn AIDS and cancer into manageable conditions.
Smart buildings that self-stabilize during earthquakes or bombings.
10 to 15 years
Artificial intelligence so sophisticated you can't tell if you're talking on the phone with a human or a machine.
Paint-on computer and entertainment video displays.
Elimination of invasive surgery, since bodies can be monitored and repaired almost totally from within.
You'll see remarkable developments now on the horizon, such as:

New double-duty power plants could ease the water crisis. A new process to remove salt from seawater and make it drinkable can be powered by the excess heat from electric power plants. A small operating prototype shows that tapping the waste heat from a 100-megawatt power plant could produce 1.5 million gallons of fresh water daily. The cost would be only $2.50 per 1,000 gallons — well below that of conventional desalination methods.
New System Reads Body Language — The truth is in your eyes — and your mannerisms. A system developed by University of Manchester scientists uses a camera and artificial intelligence to process patterns of non-verbal behavior. The system can assess levels of deception, aggression, exhaustion and even the initial stages of Parkinson's disease.


You'll see remarkable developments now on the horizon, such as:
The GNR Revolution — The convergence of genetic engineering, nanotechnology and robotics may change the very meaning of “human” as we shape our evolutionary destiny.
A New Strategy for Globalization — As business breaks down borders and corporations roam the world in search of profits, we need to be sure the international system is built on a foundation of cooperation and consent.
Learning for Ourselves: A New Paradigm for Education — Why learning should be taken out of the hands of antiquated school systems and put into the hands of learners, according to a leading education consultant.
New double-duty power plants could ease the water crisis. A new process to remove salt from seawater and make it drinkable can be powered by the excess heat from electric power plants. A small operating prototype shows that tapping the waste heat from a 100-megawatt power plant could produce 1.5 million gallons of fresh water daily. The cost would be only $2.50 per 1,000 gallons — well below that of conventional desalination methods.
New System Reads Body Language — The truth is in your eyes — and your mannerisms. A system developed by University of Manchester scientists uses a camera and artificial intelligence to process patterns of non-verbal behavior. The system can assess levels of deception, aggression, exhaustion and even the initial stages of Parkinson's disease.